India’s e-cigarette ban came into force this week, but electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are still listed for purchase by online retailers. Vendors such as Amazon and Flipkart continue to offer some devices although others have acted in accordance with the government prohibition. Sites including Vapestop and Litejoy have discontinued trading in the wake of […]
industry
Insurance boon for IVF?
Some insurance companies may cover in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) under health insurance plans, it has been reported. The news comes as a boon for couples struggling with infertility, a condition affecting an increasing number of Indians. According to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction, between ten and fourteen percent of Indians struggle with their fertility. In […]
Is the Centre about to ban e-cigarettes?
The controversial push by the Union Health Ministry to ban e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is closer than ever to manifesting in law. Ministers have been sent an ordinance for review, which outlines how the Centre intends to ban the production, sale, and imports of the devices. Under the Prohibition of E-cigarettes […]
E-cigarette industry appeals against potential ban
The e-cigarette industry has appealed against the proposed ban on the devices, calling on regulation instead of outright prohibition. With the Centre in position to initiate a blanket ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) by classifying them under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the Trade Representatives of ENDS in India (TRENDS), an association of […]
A Mumbai beer plant brewing a public health issue?
United Breweries is India’s biggest producer of beer – but an inspection has found stunning sanitation lapses. The brewing giant, which claims to account for more than fifty percent of beer production in India and saw its revenue grow by 21 percent in the 2018 financial year, was flagged on several concerning grounds by the […]
Opening Indian pharma’s Bottle of Lies
“They often make their worst drugs — with the lowest-quality ingredients and the most manufacturing shortcuts — for the least regulated markets, including India,” writes investigative journalist Katherine Eban in her book Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Boom (also subtitled as Ranbaxy and the Dark Side of Indian Pharma), an exposé […]
Energy infrastructure: Why we need to rethink it
![A thermal powerplant situated @ 20 kms away of raichur [own work, CC license]. Energy infrastructure example.](https://i0.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/800px-Raichur_Thermal_Power_Station.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Energy infrastructure: Why we need to rethink it")
Energy infrastructure needs to be seriously rethought if global warming targets are to be met, research published in the journal Nature reveals in a stark warning. Last year, a groundbreaking report issued by the UN body on climate change announced that “rapid, [far-reaching] and unprecedented changes” are necessary if the pace of global warming is […]
Rajasthan: Chief Minister speaks up on silicosis
Every year, 2.78 million people die because of diseases or accidents incurred in the workplace. In India, where eighty percent of labour occurs in unsafe environments, one of the major occupational hazards is silicosis. Nationwide, between three and ten million workers are at risk of developing the disease. For workers in Rajasthan, the toll is […]
World No Tobacco Day: The fight continues
Today marked World No Tobacco Day, but it was not only traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes that were in the firing line. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot used World No Tobacco Day to issue a ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), more commonly known as e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’. The devices can no longer be […]
Villagers boycott election over pollution
Amidst India going to the polls to determine the composition of the 17th Lok Sabha, by-elections took place in Tamil Nadu to fill eighteen constituencies in the state’s Legislative Assembly. And in one village, residents are refusing to participate. The reason? Pollution. A polling booth established in the village of Nagaraja Kandigai has not seen […]